Utah: Ski resorts add new lifts, sport camps

Little Baldy Peak at Deer Valley, Utah, is the site of the new Mountaineer… (Eric Schramm )

Utah’s ski resorts, most of which are only a couple of hours away from LAX, have added a number of improvements for the upcoming ski and snowboard season. They range from new lifts to remodeled restaurants to new programs for boarders and schussers of all ages.

Deer Valley, just down the road from Park City, spent nearly $8 million to replace the Deer Crest chairlift on Little Baldy Mountain with a high-speed detachable quad lift to be named Mountaineer Express chairlift. The change will increase the uphill skier capacity by 1,200 skiers an hour. The resort also remodeled the popular Snow Park Restaurant.

Snowbird has upgraded its Little Cloud lift from a fixed-grip double to a high-speed quad chairlift, cutting the seven-minute riding time in half.

And Sundance, Robert Redford’s resort, has added a new lift that will give guests parked at its upper parking lot immediate access to ski terrain. The new lift is placed in the southwest corner of the parking lot and terminates at the top of Maverick Ski Run. In addition, Sundance is expanding its snow-making by 40%.

Canyons will introduce the Ultimate Mountain Experience, which it's billing as "the most comprehensive and unique winter sports fantasy camp series ever.” It will be headed by former U.S. Olympic team coach Phil McNichol and include six former Olympians who will lead guests on skiing and snowboarding adventures all over the mountain and in its terrain parks and pipes.

Eagle Point, which is outside Beaver, Utah, and 3.5 hours from Las Vegas, will offer free skiing all season – yes, all season – for California residents. All you have to do is show proof of residence.

New for this season at Park City Mountain Resort is the “I Ride Park City” freestyle camp, which combines terrain park and on-mountain instruction with video shooting and editing for skiers and snowboarders ages 9-15. The three-day camp, inspired by videos on the resort’s I Ride Park City blog and the athletes who star in them, is designed for intermediate and expert skiers and snowboarders with all levels of terrain-park experience.